Always
by Ambermoone
Summary: Two young children, one half blood, one muggle born grow up together as best friends in anticipation of what will come when they recieve their letters to attend Hogwarts.  One Shot which I came up with randomly. Slightly sappy. DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILERS!


Always

A one shot

By Ambermoone

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, and I wrote this story purely for my own amusement.

Note: I came up with this story, obviously after reading _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. I had had a feeling that Snape had a crush on Lily prior to this book, but was intrigued with the idea that they had been childhood friends. I decided to write this as a little writing exercise for myself. Hopefully others can enjoy it as well.

It was never quiet at his house. The young boy was accustomed to the sound of his parent's bickering in the morning. If it was the weekend and he was home for the lunch hour, the bickering ballooned into shouting, and by dinnertime the shouting had erupted into tears and slamming doors.

It was always best to keep out of their way, and because of their lack of attention and affection he always appeared unkempt.

The red haired girl by his side laughed and gingerly took a comb out of her pocket.

"Sev, your hair is a wreck," she laughed. She gently slid the comb through his hair as he told her stories about sports played on broomsticks and the magical properties of a unicorn's horn.

He had never been taught how to groom himself from a young age, nor did his mother bother to spend time making him look sharp. Most of the time she was crying in her room with the door shut. By age right he realized that she rarely looked at him as if his face itself was a constant reminder that he was half his father. In return, his father refused to look at him as well, and he knew it was because he was a constant reminder of the part that was his mother whom never seemed to be good enough in anyway. It was all for the best that he rarely spent time at home now. At least **she** never looked at him in disgust.

"So you will be coming over to my house for supper then?" Lily sat on her hands and bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

This was the first time a child at Spinners End had ever asked him over to their house. Her face was quite serious, but her lovely green eyes were smiling as always. He turned away a bit.

"But won't your mum mind that I'm…"

"No! Not at all! They are so proud that I am a witch! Honestly, its not like Tuney said it would be. They don't think we are freaks all."

"I… um.. I don't know."

"Oh, come on," she insisted, taking him by the hand, "they want to know more about this Hogwarts. They really do! They want to meet you. I've told them everything-"

"Everything?" suddenly he seemed panicked. The last thing he wanted was to be a charity case from a broken home.

"Well not EVERYTHING. But they know that I can do magic and that you can too. Really it will be fun!"

"But-"

She rolled her eyes, "look, I already told them you are coming. Mum will be insulted if you don't"

"Alright," he said quietly.

And that was how he began having dinner with the Evans' on Friday nights. At first the sister gave him dirty looks across the table when no one was looking, and he returned them when no one was looking. After a few months she realized he wasn't going anywhere and resolved herself to silence. She would squirm whenever he sat down with the family and ask her parents if she could eat in her room.

"Petunia dear," her father would say, "don't be rude. We have a guest."

"Yes," Mrs. Evans would agree, "Severus and Lily will be spending a lot of time together at their school. We should get to know him."

He smirked at her. She looked away. He would never tell Lily this but he enjoyed making her sister uncomfortable. He was something Petunia would never understand. THEY, Lily and he, were something that she could never be and he liked that. If she thought he was creepy then so be it. He knew she was jealous, of Lily and of him. Of what they would become and what they had. It was fun to see her face drop whenever he showed up at the house. He enjoyed usurping her relationship with Lily.

At home his mother became more and more withdrawn. She no longer reacted when his father flew off the handle. Sometimes she would spend her time making potions when her husband wasn't home. It was this talent that kept her connected to her magical background. He would watch his mother and take notes. It would only be a year now before her got his letter by owl and he wanted to have a head start. She didn't mind her son watching, but she never addressed him. She would often mutter a few instructions on her latest concoction out loud, but it was never to him directly. He would often pretend his mother was giving him a proper lesson. He liked to imagine her as an attentive tutor. He could take this and in turn give lessons to Lily. Any excuse to be near her was precious. She would be a star student in potions class and she would have him to thank.

Sometimes he went to far with the sister, like the time he made that tree branch fall on her head. He would never admit to Lily he enjoyed antagonizing Petunia, but he paid the price a few times when Lily stopped talking to him.

"Its all your fault she won't talk to me!" She would cry, "I hate you!" Lily slammed her window shut leaving him on the street corner by the light. One time Petunia opened her window and stuck her tongue out at him. He hexed her with warts, which popped up all over her nose. A simple curse, but he paid the price when the ministry sent letters to his home threatening to deny him admission to Hogwarts. Needless to say, he never hexed Petunia again, but the reaction of the ministry did not trouble him as much as a snubbing from Lily. Of course he denied he had anything to do with it, but Lily always knew. It was like he green eyes could cut into the deepest parts of his soul.

She would look right through him in school. He followed she and her sister home a few times hoping she would forgive him.

"Ok, I forgive you, let's talk," Lily would say after a week or so. Pentunia would look at her through narrowed eyes and storm off towards their home. Lily watched her go sadly. She always looked as if she was half expecting her sister to turn around and accept her. Lily's green eyes would well up.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, "she's just-"

"She's still my sister," Lily would always say turning her sad eyes to him. He gasped. He never wanted to see that look in her eyes, he felt a bit guilty. He wondered how much of Lily's pain was caused him and how much was caused by her sister's rejection. He decided it was mostly the sister and enjoyed the relief he felt knowing Lily was his once again.

The two children walked to the playground where they first met. They sat on the swings watching the sun slip down into the silhouettes of the treetops.

"Tomorrow we are leaving," she sighed, "I-I'm a bit scared. What if they don't like me because I'm Muggle born?"

"I already told you that didn't matter," he said smiling, the last strong shards of sunlight illuminated her white skin and she looked like an angel, "everyone will love you. And besides, you will always have me."

"Always," she repeated turning to look at him with that serene smile. She shuffled her swing closer to him and put her head on his shoulder as the last of the sunlight faded from the sky.


End file.
